John Swinney to turn to charities to provide public services as spending cuts bite

In his budget for 2012-13, the SNP finance secretary will hand voluntary organisations a bigger role in caring for the elderly, supporting families with preschools kids and helping offenders go straight.

Desperate John Swinney will today turn to charities to provide more public services as savage spending cuts begin to bite.

In his budget for 2012-13, the SNP finance secretary will hand voluntary organisations a bigger role in caring for the elderly, supporting families with preschools kids and helping offenders go straight.

He has been convinced a range of charity-based schemes will save his cash-stapped government millions of pounds over the coming years, according to voluntary sector sources.

But Labour finance spokesman Richard Baker warned the SNP were trying to re-create David Cameron's "Big Society" north of the Border.

He said: "The voluntary sector do a great job and we should welcome them doing more.

"But it must be about bringing in their skills, expertise and passion - not getting services on the cheap.

"Voluntary sector budgets have been slashed in the past few years and they have been told to reduce their costs. That is no basis on which to build.

"But I fear there is a clear comparision with the Big Society down south, which has been all about spending less on getting services provided."

Swinney will unveil his budget for the next financial year at Holyrood today.

He will also announce outline spending plans for the two years after that, up to 2014-15.

Swinney faces tough choices on how swineging cash cuts imposed by the Con-Dem Government should impact on Scotland.

In a bid to save cash, it is understood he will back "preventative spending" on charity projects designed to cut demand for costly public services.

Schemes helping elderly people stay in their homes, rather than going into residential care, are among those set to be expanded.

Voluntary organisations will also be called on to train and employ more offenders, in a bid to cut Scotland's high - and costly - reoffending rates.

A number of bodies have been in talks with the finance secretary in the run-up to today's budget.

John Downie, of the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, said: "The only way to choke off demand for expensive public services we now can't afford is by moving towards a preventative approach.

"The third sector holds the key to making this happen."

Swinney has already hinted he'll extend a wage freeze for public sector workers to balance the books.

Baker said: "The SNP cannot keep blaming Westminster. This is decision day for the SNP."

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